Fate Eternal
by Ryurasuke
Summary: The largest competition for the Grail in history. With thirty-five servants, it shall prove to be filled with blood. And of course, we all know the only way that a servant can regain lost prana. A story of love, hate, lust, gore, everything you could be hoping for and then some.
1. Chapter 1

Yet another time of death and torment approaches. The Grail War arises yet again. Despite the efforts to prevent it, it is above and beyond the ability of the humans who would disturb the regular course of things. They tried their most valiant to stop or stall the war, but that is the way of magic, it doesn't obey human laws, no matter how much they try. The abolished the practice of hosting the Grail Wars in Fuyoki City, but the mages don't really care. Their methods were above, and the world wished for it to be.

Denied by the Mage's Association, the Church, even some among them deny it as well, the mages still plan to participate. The magic has built up, grown to be enough to give rise to the servants for a long time. The two organizations still denied them, and foiled the efforts given to raise servants. They were in for a rude awakening however.

It turned out that the magic being built up for the summoning of the servants by the mages was grown to be too much. They had thought that they were saving humanity by preventing the war, they were really causing much ails to befall the human species. Sickness grew rampant, in proportion to how the black plague had struck long ago. And all because the planet was building up mass amounts of prana to be used, but there were no outlets.

Finally the organizations relented, they honestly had no choice. People were dying, and quickly. They finally joined in, giving way under the oppression of the people. The mages used the dying screams as fuel.

After the relenting wave, with some quick research, they found that much more than the usual amount of energy had gathered. There was usually only enough for seven servants to rise under seven masters. Now, it seemed like the entire Throne of Heroes was being emptied out for the purpose of this new war.

Mages were found wherever they could be located. Where before the war involved only those who lived in Fuyoki City, now it was much more widespread. All of the other Grail Wars that would usually serve this same purpose in other locations were integrated, making this a truly one of a kind experience.

The Mage's Association sent missives around the world to inform all mages around the world to the new format of the war. They responded, and the masters began their work.

In total, thirty-six servants were summoned. Some of whom were summoned before the actual war, some long before, even years before, just hiding in wait. But now they could come out and begin the true war. The first and last of its kind. Never again would the Association allow for this much prana to build up again.

So everybody wanted to participate. It was a great honor to just be in it, without coming anywhere close to victory.

Finally, the time has arrived. The time of the first and only, when heroes who have never been called into service before join in. The all encompassing war, spreading from horizon to horizon. From Japan, to America, to Europe, Africa, India, no matter where one came from, the war had some influence on them.

The Mage's Association called together the masters. with this much power coming to be, each servant would hold a massive amount of power beyond anything any servant held before. Thus when these servants died and went to give that power to the Holy Grail, it would result in an abominably more powerful end product.

**(This story does not take into account the fact that Arturia finished her contract with the world. Neither some of the other ending types from the games/animes and other stories. Also noted should be the fact that she is still in this and the war is still on, despite her using her wish to abolish it.)**


	2. Chapter 2

I awake yet again after many long uneventful years. I must admit, I worried briefly that I would be overlooked for this War. But that's highly unlikely. I wasn't; after all, who would overlook the most accomplished of the Servants?

I look up at my new master, a warm feeling rising in my chest as I hope- no, my hopes go unfilled. I gaze at my master in both disappointment and shock. The disappointment came when I saw that she wasn't Emiya Shirou. The shock was at the very fact that she was a _she!_ I had been expecting to find Shirou waiting for me. After all, Merlin had promised that if I never stopped waiting...and also if he never stopped chasing.

My head dropped as tears threatened to spill over. I didn't want to appear weak in front of my new master, after all, I was Saber, a class without peer. And of all of the Sabers, I was-am- the best. But if Shiro still hadn't summoned me. And many years had passed. I may not actually know how long, but i know that a long time has passed since I saw him last.

But that does not matter right now. Right now, I have to introduce myself to my new master. And hope fervently that Shiro would make an appearance sometime later. Even if we end up as enemies, at least I'd know then that he'd stopped chasing after me.

"I am Saber, your servant. I have come in response to your summons. And you, you are my master, correct?" I intoned gravely, a few scant tears spilling over my eyelids and running down my cheeks.

"Yes I am." She said, fear trickling into her speech. "Is there something wrong?"

I shook my head, closing my eyes to regain my composure. "Everything is fine my master. My blade is yours." I straightened to stand tall.

"Good, then let us be off." She started walking off, leading me out from the warehouse. I followed faithfully. I couldn't make out what her personality was, would she be kind and caring like Shiro had been? Or cold hearted and ruthless?

I wondered where we would be going, the world has changed quite a lot since last I was there. Technology advanced, computers running the street.

"You should dematerialize yourself so you don't stand out." My master told me.

"I cannot." I whispered under my breath. Who the hell was this girl who summoned me? Did she know nothing of me?

"You can't?" She asked, incredulous. "I thought all servants could?"

She had no idea who she was dealing with. "Except for me." I ducked my head to hide my embarrassment.

"Hmm, I wonder why." My master asked. I knew why, but I refrained from speaking. "Well, that doesn't matter. I'm Yumi Tohsaka." She waved her hand carelessly over her shoulder at me.

"I'm-" I began to state my name, but she cut me off.

"I know who you are, I'm not incompetent like my predecessors who summoned you. It's best if you refrain from saying it aloud, you never know who might be listening." Yumi told me quite firmly.

I quieted immediately. She was right of course, I had only been too distracted by Shiro's memory to think clearly. But it was difficult to think past him, my heart actually hurt over it. But it looked like it was a futile effort.

She led me through the streets and finally we arrived at her home. Nobody gave me any looks, but considering what other people in the city were wearing, my armor wasn't _that_ odd. There were several occasions where I was prepared to attack, thinking one of the other servants had arrived to do battle with me. But with Yumi's stoic acceptance of it, I knew that there was no real danger. Just random eccentrics enjoying their oddities.

Although it was disconcerting to see it all, such as a man wandering around with his hair in a long pointed stripe down the center of his head, and another with hair the color of a rainbow, it didn't bother me. Obviously Yumi had no problem with it, so neither should I.

Her house was the same as Rin's was long ago. It must be an ancestral place of power or something, but in the current sight of Fuyoki City, it was quite an oddity. Large and ancient, it was a model of the old, original style of building found in the area. With large open areas, with massive overhangs surrounding the building and large plots of land filled with unique pieces of stone art.

It was a statement of continued wealth, that they were able to still afford to keep the massive holdings while around them the city had devolved into organized chaos.

It was beautiful and majestic. But it played no part in the war. The only benefit to this was that I had a private area in which I would be able to do battle with my rivals without being in danger of exposing the war to humans.

I could sense a few other servants in the area, around the city, but not precise locations. That was, as ever, still outside my range of abilities. I felt so useless in situations before and after the battles. The number was off though. There were only supposed to be seven servants? Then why could I sense a dozen at least?

"Do you feel them?" My master asked me.

"Aye, but too many. Something is wrong." I replied cautiously, assuming she was testing me in some way.

"No, less than a quarter of the actual combatants have even been summoned yet. This is to be a battle above and beyond all others. Over fifty rivals we will have to battle our way through, but in the end, we _will_ emerge victorious."

I had to admit, I liked her supreme confidence over that of Shiro's confusion. At least this time, I would be starting the battle with my master able to aid me. She could probably give me prana as well, a detail that always distressed me to no end when I had to deal with Shiro.

Shiro, even the thought of his name struck a chord in my heart. I can't believe he hadn't fulfilled his portion of the bargain. Merlin's words rang back in my head and my heart. Obviously he had ceased his quest of chasing me endlessly.

The thought was nearly enough to bring me to tears yet again, but I managed to calm myself and stop them before any fell.

"The war has yet to truly begin." I noted. "But before the end of the day, there will be deaths."

"Not our problem," Yumi told me. "The affairs of the humans do not concern us until after the war."

A typical response from a mage. Chances were that she was raised by her family's standards. As a matter of fact, she even looked a lot like Rin. Both physically and in her stature.

She stood tall, with her back straightened, and head held high. Each of her responses was quick and firm, showing absolutely no doubts about herself. She was prepared for winning this. Her eyes were hard, like Rin's were. But Rin's eventually softened, after meeting Shiro.

This led me to believe that Yumi's childhood had gone about the same as Rin's had. They even looked alike! I was stunned. I kept on mistaking her for her ancestor, and expected Archer to come.

But that was a stupid thought, he wasn't here, with this girl; that was me, my place now. Archer was gone, Shiro was gone.

I steeled myself to prepare for her questioning. She was going to ask general questions, nothing should be personal. All other servants lost their memories after each war, I was unique in that skill. But it was highly unlikely that my master would know that.

"Saber class, I'm actually excited that my plan worked out in such grace." Yumi said, a smile in her voice. "I worried for the longest time that my effort would turn out like my family did last time, but it seems that my fears were for naught. Now which one are you is the question that begs to mind?"

I swallowed, looking her directly in the eyes as a show of respect. "My name is Aturia Pendragon."

"Pendragon? Like Arthur?"

"That's me." I sighed.

"B-but you're a girl!" She sputtered. "It's _King_ Arthur!"

I sighed yet again. "That was a facade put on by Merlin. Britain wouldn't accept a female ruler, but the country was more important than myself."

"Wow." Yumi didn't have anything else to add.

I nodded. "You know all needed information don't you? I don't need explain it correct?"

"Of course not, I'm not an incompetent!" Yumi grew aggressive.

My heart hurt at the implications. I hadn't meant it that way. I'd had to explain the system to Shiro, he hadn't been incompetent. He was...Shiro. "I-I hadn't meant to imply that you were. I only wanted to know."

"I'm sorry, I've just, I've had to deal with a lot of people doubting me, so it's a little sensitive of a subject."

"Duly noted." I alerted her. "When do you plan for us to begin the contest?"

"I have to go to school tomorrow, after that, we'll begin."


	3. Chapter 3

**Time for a dump posting! A chapter for each of my stories! RxR Everybody! You know I live for reviews! And Happy Halloween!**

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I stepped out of the gateway and touched softly upon the ground at the exit point. "Ah, it's good to be back in the world." Laughter spilled from me. "Who's the lucky one who ended up with _me?_ The great assassin of assassins."

"That would be me." A soft pleasant voice spoke up. My master was quite young in appearance. No more than a score in years. If I had to wager a guess, I would assume that the young maiden was just above the age of full growth.

"Ah, my dear. You are quite fortunate." I chuckled. "To have ended up with the great Altair Ibn la Ahad."

My master tried to throw her hands up to stop my speech as she spoke out. "No! Don't say your name." But she was too late, my words had been swifter than her warning.

"Don't worry." I said puffing my chest out. "It's only a risk to reveal my identity if somebody is powerful enough to actually harm me. There's nobody on the planet now, nor has there ever been one, who can come close to matching me. I am simply their superior in every way."

"Oh boy." My mistress said, shaking her head.

"Don't think like that. I'm not bragging. I'm just better in every way than everybody else who has ever been alive, or will ever be alive." My laughter spilled out.

"Altair Ibn...what was it?" My mistress tried to confirm.

"Altair Ibn la Ahad. Grand Master Assassin."

"Never heard of you."

"Have you heard of Assassins?"

"Of course!" She grew indignant.

"Then you should know why." I stepped out onto the street. "So how long do you want me to wait before I start piling the dead?"

"Um...what?" She was oblivious.

"How long-still with me? Good- Do you want me to wait until I kill them all?"

"Shouldn't you at least know my name first?"

"Why? Your name holds no power. Will knowing it help me? Weaken my enemies? No? Then it doesn't matter." It wasn't worth it, all it would do was endanger her.

"That doesn't make me feel any better." She said slowly. "It implies a lack of trust."

"Fine, every time I dump a corpse, you can tell me a letter of your name. Judging from the amount of prana I'm sensing, unless you have a name that's thirty letters long, I'll figure it out long before this is over."

"Alright, it's a deal!" She said, holding her hand out for me to shake.

I held my hand up and applied pressure to the appropriate locations to cause the spring-loaded wrist blade to launch up and stab at the sky. "Might not be too bright."

She giggled and said. "Yeah, I suppose not."

I cracked my neck to both sides and bowed before her. "Any particular target you can think of first?"

"Well, now that you mention it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Unfortunately, this story has much shorter chapters than most of them, but I'm still getting used to the first person perspective, so can I get a little leniency? Anyway, these are just set up chapters, I promise they're gonna get longer pretty soon.**

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A god among men. That's what they called me. I was general in my time, and lead my men from the frontlines. Forget about having a larger army, or outmaneuvering them. I stepped to the forefront of the battle and massacred everybody who tried to stand against me.

Now I was being summoned once more. To serve as the frontlines.

"I am Honda Tadakatsu, let all who stand before me quake in fear!" I roared as I stepped into being. I stood head and shoulders over everybody else around, but my eye was drawn to a small girl by my side. I wasn't sure, but she appeared to be only about the tender of fifteen or sixteen, although I could never be sure. I knew that she was my master and that was all that mattered. "Who's first?" I demanded of her.

"Well, you certainly don't waste any time do you?" She asked me. I didn't bother responding. "I'll assume you mean yes by that. I'm still trying to figure out just who are is a contender in this. So no targets for now."

"There is no need to find out who we are we facing. They will not stay contenders long enough to be a recurring bother. Send me to do battle, and I will kill them all. Even if they all amass against me at once. They will all die against me at once." Sure I was confident. But while alive, I had never been injured in battle, not once. I might as well have been a servant while alive.

"You're one of those types then? Muscle bound cocky one?"

"You doubt my claims?"

"I doubt a lot of stuff, don't take it personally."

"Because you were able to summon me, I assume you are at least halfway decent as a mage."

"I'm a lot better than halfway decent."

"Then injuring a servant should be no problem. Strike me as hard as you are able to. With all of your might."

I could see her hesitation, so I reached over my shoulder and drew my might headed spear, Tonbogiri. "Never hesitate!" My _KIA!_ resounded out in a wave around us as I struck to kill her.

She reacted quite admirably, throwing a hand up and pouring prana out into a shield to protect herself. Unfortunately, a shield would do nothing to stop my blade. It cut into her shield and blasted it away as it didn't exist. The backlash of her power breaking sent her flying freely away from me. She slammed into a solid wall and I could hear a crack as her body failed to protect her. A stream of blood dripped from her lips.

"I told you to strike at me, I meant for you to strike me as if I was going to kill you. Because frankly, I was intending to do so. I hope that you have experience in healing, because I do not. If you cannot heal yourself, you'll most likely die. And I shall have another master. Honestly, the only one who loses from this situation is you." I laughed.

As it turned out, she did know a lot about the human body, enough that healing somebody, even herself, proved to be almost no trouble at all. She stood up, still rubbing at the back of her neck where her injury had been. "Well that wasn't very nice of you. Some servant. Attacking your master like that. You want me to attack you? Well then fine, here it comes."

I didn't even bother maintaining eye contact as she prepared her spell. The energy blasted at me, and it dispersed before touching me. I laughed. "Come now, surely that's not the best that you can throw at me!" I taunted her.

She gaped for a moment before calling her power back into order. Her next attack, I could tell, had a much greater power behind it. This one brushed off of me as well. I didn't flinch, I didn't even deem to acknowledge her attack. And it ended up just as ineffective her earlier attack had.

She stopped. "No fricking way! I put enough in that to destroy other mages! It should have at least injured you!"

"I am Tadakatsu Honda."

"You aren't p-"

"I am Tadakatsu Honda."

"You're not going to allow me to question anything ar-"

"I am Tadakatsu Honda. There is no need to question. We will win this battle royale. Simply because I'm Tadakatsu Honda. There is nothing on the planet to match my might."

"Right." She said unsteadily.

"If you like, I could allow you to continue to attack me with everything you have for several more minutes." I offered.

"Would there be any change?"

"I will not be harmed." I banged the butt of my spear hard against the ground, separating the concrete with the raw force of my strike.

I am Honda Tadakatsu. I am the warlord. I am king of battle. I am a god amongst mortals. I was the man who was never hurt during battle. I have taken the heads of the best warriors.

I am Honda Tadakatsu. I was known as one of the four heavenly kings. I am a god! I am a warrior king!

"I am Tadakatsu Honda."


	5. Chapter 5

My master summoned me just in time to be attacked. Even as I came out through the gateway, I heard the retorting bark of a pistol. I moved as fast as I could and threw myself onto my master, knocking her out of the path. "You need no longer vorry." I whispered in her ear.

"I-I'm not vor-worried!" She corrected herself. "Just kick his ass!"

_Aggressive, mmm, I like that._ I pushed myself up and off of her, flicking my hand up and around to pull my long, heavy spear from my back. My opponent cocked his head to the side, chuckling at my master. "I see your master has little regard for you. That's unfortunate. I vould have loved to have eliminated both of you at vonce."

"Nein you fool!" His shrill voice retorted.

"You've got to be kidding me." My master sighed. "You might be the absolutely worst of all of the servants."

"Mă?" I asked.

"What?"

"Me?"

"No not you!" She pointed at my opponent. "F*cking Hitler!"

"Doamne!" I gasped. "Vell, that's vasn't very hard. I suppose that now that ve know who you are, you'll flee the battle?"

My opponent grew angry at my assumption. His little moustache flicked in his anger, moving on his upper lip like a caterpillar. All in all, it was rather endearing, like a kitten. But this was one kitten I would have no issue stepping on its head and squashing its brain. He launched himself forward, pointing a square box in my direction. Ah, a pistol, so boring. So purposeless. It was useless to bring a pistol to a sword fight between servants.

He fired, but I was nowhere near his targeted area. The shot hit dirt and did nothing for him.

As he closed the distance between us, he switched the gun to his left hand and drew a long slender sword from beneath the rigid coat he wore. I spun the thick spear between my fingers and angled toward him.

He lunged at my head with his sword and I simply swept his blade aside with the base of my spear. Easy enough to stop it. I aimed high with my spear, thrusting it at his clavicle.

He danced back, using the amazing speed of the Lancer class in order to avoid the blow. At this point, I realized my mistake. His weapon was not a sword. It was a gun, a long gun with a blade affixed upon its end. An easy mistake in my opinion, considering I had never actually seen a rifle during my actual lifetime. It did little to intimidate me.

From there, his next strike was easy to block. I simply lifted my foot and planted it on his hand, kicking his attempted strike to the side to throw his guard out of my way. With his arms spread, I thrust forward once again. "So vhere's your covard master?"

He glared at me, sweeping his rifle in a half circle to parry my attack. "Vhy vould I risk mein meister in so careless a manner?"

"So he's a covard? Did I not just say as much?"

"Do not mock mein meister!" He roared. God were all servants such idiots? "Mein meister is fair and gentle! A thousand times better than yours!"

"Do not vorry." I said placidly. "You von't be alive for much longer. So long as you show yourself to be more a man than a covard, as she is."

He readied his weapon. I readied mine. Or should I say _mein?_

Our next clash erupted into a massive flaring of our powers. Sparks flew from our clashing weapons and the windows in the buildings nearby were blown apart, shattering outward in the wake of our power. I spun, our weapons still locked, and used the force of my turning in order to gather power to push him away. With myself as the fulcrum at one end, everything was transfered to him and he was sent flying. I will admit, the action brought no small amount of pleasure to me.

He crashed into a house nearby and I took the opportunity to cast my glance over and check on my master. She appeared shell shocked, but not harmed in any way. I do not think she counted on how these battles would be fought in advance of being thrust into the life of a master.

"Mein Kampf!" This Adolf Hitler shouted at me. And of course that clearly marked him as the same servant that my master had claimed him as.

Out of the fast clearing dust he stepped, armed with a pair of large rotary bullet spewing monstrosities. They were each the size of a cannon and pointed directly not at myself, but rather at my master. I heard the heavy booming of artillery shellings even as he fired at her. Luckily, I am also a Lancer, so my speed was vastly prodigious. And what's more, I was much superior to him. He was fine enough as an opponent, but I was Vladimir Tepes Dracula. People had been fearing my legend for centuries before he was ever feared. The world trembled at thoughts of my deeds.

As such, my speed allowed me to grab her up and leapt aside just as the shells hits. I immediately spun around so my back was turned to the blast, cradling my master against my chest. The explosion rocked me askance, but did not truly injure me. Of course, that was only the first volley.

Seeing that Hitler was so heavily armed, I chose escape as our best option. He only needed a single shot to wing my master in order to kill her, while it would not be nearly so easy to finish him. And despite my regret at needing to flee from such a weak rival, my master's safety was of course more important by far. If she died, I was out. I doubt there were very many servants who allowed their masters to die already, so my chance to have another claim me were slight.

"Not exactly the best location for a showdown now is it?" I asked her as I switched her to lay over my shoulder rather than just laying across my arms. "I wonder how many were injured from that. Or will be." I trailed off, leaving it to her to draw the conclusions. There was nothing being held secret. Any spectators would of course need to be slaughtered.

She waited a moment, the tension in her body telling me she was deep in thought as I waited for her comment. I leapt from building to building, never staying on the skyline for more than a few seconds at a time. Presenting a moonlit figure would most likely prove only to give him a target.

"That's very unfortunate." She murmured to herself. Her head was located just behind my ear though, so her self-monologue was clear to my hearing.

"I wish there was another way." At least she was conscious of the danger to others. "But the war is much too important to weigh against their lives. We'll just have to be more careful that we do our fighting outside of the city's range to protect as many as possible." Ah yes, a thoughtful master who wished to spare the innocent. Refreshing considering that my prior masters were all conscious of my legends and planned my usage around such. It was good to have a master who wished to save lives instead of only take them. I may be a monster, but I still had a consciense.

She directed me back to her home, a nice little house in a suburban locale. Pleasant, small and easily overlooked. And even better, the neighbors to both side were foreclosed properties and she lived alone.

With the danger passed, I was now able to take better stock of my master. A few inches shorter than myself, she was quite tall for a woman in her prime. She had devilshly red hair, hinting at a hunger for all of the experiences of life. The gleam in her green eyes spoke the same. All in all, a ravishingly beauty, a master I was more than warming up to.

"Good evening master." I said, emphasizing my accent. "I am Vladimir Tep-"

"Yes yes yes, I know who you are." She interrupted me. "Vlad the Impaler, the son of the dragon, blah blah blah." Wow, the demure little vixen turned out to have some teeth after all. Feistiness always made women more appealing.

"Vell then tell vhat name I should refer to you by?"

"My name is Rosalina Smith."

"Your name is actually Smith? That's very common a name for a very uncommon woman. Is your father a smith by any chance? Blacksmith? Whitesmith of some sort?"

"Um, no." She gave a weak smile. "He's a lawyer. One of the top agencies."

"Vell then. You certainly seem vell off. Und nice house, und vell to do off about monies." I smiled. "So vhat vould you like me to do now? Finish hunting this Hitler? Go after another? Vhatch over you while you sleep?"

"That last one sounds a little creepy. But unfortunately, I'm exhausted. Too much so to restore your prana unfortunately."

"Vell, you know my legends. There is alvays another option to restore my povers."

"The vampire thing? Yeah, let's try to avoid hurting innocents whenever possible." She shuddered though. She did an admirable job of hiding it from me, but you couldn't hide fear from a creature of the night. From _the_ creature of the night.

"Very admirable of you. Let's see how long you can keep it up vhen the var is truly in session." I smiled, allowing my lips to slip up and reveal the pointed fangs. "After all. Vone can never be too careful vith their prana."

"You are not going to eat anybody unless absolutely necessary." She demanded emphatically. "So let's just sleep peacefully."

"I do not need to sleep quite so much as you. Or sleep in general." I could feel my grin widen. "I'm a vampire amant. Sleep is no longer un concern of mine. I need only un hour or so. Or none at all if my maestru keeps me well fed."

She shivered underneath the intensity of my gaze. "Then just watch over me or somethiing. Whatever you like. Just don't leave the house. Unless you'd rather disappear?"

"Vhatever you vish maestru."

"Right." She turned and headed off to her bedroom. I smiled as I sat down to keep a careful watch over her. I had no desire to desire to lose myself through my powers, although it cost very little to do so. It was just so unpleasant to know that I could disappear so readily. I was Vladimir Tepes Dracula, the son of Drakul, the dragon and the infamous guardian and voivode of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler.

I was very proud of who I was, and it seemed to me that by hiding my presence I did only dishonor to myself. As if I was afraid or timid. Pathetic was the only think I saw fit to compare those who were willing to flee with their prana to invisibility. Honor demanded that one stand tall, face off against an opponent. If you weren't willing to do that, could you still call yourself a man?

I smiled. Of course, I couldn't exactly be considered only a man now could I?

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**Alright everybody, shouldn't be many more before I start reusing character perspectives. Feel free to comment your favorites and I might reuse those ones more frequently. I'll eventually have all of the characters listed somewhere for your perusal. ReadXreview! There's 72 characters in total, so there's more than enough for everybody to find a favored character. I also do need masters, but I accept OCs rarely. **


	6. Chapter 6

I looked down happily at my master. She did not realize it yet, but that's who she was. In fact, I am not even sure that she realizes that there is a war going on. I wish I could keep her safe from all of the dangers of the war, or even better, to keep her safe from knowledge that the war even existed. Unfortunately, she was the holy Grail, the entire purpose behind the war in the first place. She needed to be protected, as was my duty, and it was much safer for her to know what was happening around her.

She sat around a large fire with her family. Three sisters and their mother. My last ward had been an orphan with no siblings. I wondered briefly how this might affect my relationship with her.

My last ward had clung to me, seeing me a replacement for her own lost ones. There seemed a universal propensity for those individuals to be chosen for the vessel of the holy Grail's might to be female. In addition, they tended toward being children of troubled homes, although that may have something to do with the fact that they were all of the lineage. Perhaps just a family cursed by destiny. Either way, it was not my place to question. i was just the guardian.

This family appeared happy, no evidence except the missing father that there had ever been trouble to disrupt this happy home. For a few more precious moment, I allowed them to enjoy their peace.

It couldn't last though, eventually I had to go and destroy their lives.

By the time I made it halfway to them, their party had already silenced. I dropped my hand to the blade belted at my left hip. I was not expecting any issues, but it was far better to be prepared than deceased. Or have my ward and her family joined in death instead. When I arrived at the fence, I saw that each of the women was now armed with a small firearm, as well that I saw their trajectory aimed at my body.

"What do you want?" The eldest among them called out.

I found her declaration, along with the armaments they had gathered, as well as the speed with which they had done so, quite humorous. It was gloriously refreshing to find magus, or perhaps magicians who were willing to rely on the pure power of a sturdy weapon. I found myself unable to prevent the hearty laughter from spilling out of me. They readied their weapons to fire even as I thrust myself up, easily clearing the fence, as well as much of their yard. Their awe at my feat encouraged my laughter to continue as I strode to stand before them. They quickly refocused their aim upon my body.

"Hey stop! I told you to stop!" The eldest shouted at me.

"That is incorrect. You did no such thing." I responded with complete serenity. "You merely asked me for my purpose." I stood just before the group of women. I nodded my head at the youngest of them before slowly lowering myself to my knees, drawing my legendary blade of Catherine of Fierbois, found behind the altar where I had proved myself time and again. I slid the blade into the ground, folding my hands peacefully around the hilt. "My purpose I to serve you."

They all turned to face her. With the attention focused upon her, she almost appeared to simply shrink in on herself. Clearly, she was lacking in self-confidence. I would need change that about her if she were to be a proper vessel for the holy Grail. She was the chosen.

"Ah, f*ck." The eldest declared. "That means ya dun must be her servant right?"

"I'm sorry?" I was not entirely certain of her meaning. I felt confident that it was no mistake on my part, but rather that the woman seemed to have forgotten some words in her intonation. Or at the very slightest, that she no longer knew the pronunciation of those words she had chosen.

"This more'n daddy's secert stuff?" The eldest of the daughters asked of her matriarch.

"Ya two head'n on 'nside." The mother demanded of the two elder girls. They obeyed immediately, but continued to trace their weapon's trajectories upon me.

"Decorum bids me to ask for a reiteration of your prior statement in regards to my person for the sake of the reduction of the chance for misunderstanding." I asked politely, very politely in my opinion.

"Wha-?"

"I desired to know your meaning."

"Me gurl's a magus ain't she?" The woman said. There was a catch to her voice, tears were easily apparent in her tone. "Durned datty o' the brood."

"You did not know her status as a magus?"

"I had hoped she wouldn't be cursed."

"Mom! It's not a curse!" Thankfully, of the group, my master appeared to have inherited her diction from her father's person. Not perfect, but it was at least reasonably pronounced.

"Ya ain't know what'cha talkin' 'bout." The mother explained. "Bein' a mage ain't no good. 'Specially not afta' ya dun sumoned up a servant."

"Both accounts of which you are wrong about." I interjected delicately. "She neither summoned me, nor in truth is she a magus, at least, not in your understanding of itI was summoned by the Grail itself, to be its protector during the war."

This statement stopped the mother's argument cold. By the look of confusion across the daughter's face, it was clear that she knew not how to make the connection. "I am here to ensure your safety and protection during this upcoming battle. Whichever among the masters is able to prove themselves supreme in the battle royale will make a wish through the holy Grail's power contained within your person. THat same power is that which I granting me life in this incarnation. You need not worry about supplying me with prana, nor infect yourself with concern over the engagement of the battles fought in your name. Should you choose, I can make it so that only in incredibly rare circumstances will you even know of the battles, or I can make it so that you may spy over the outcomes. I leave the decision up to you mistress."

"Don't call me that." She said quietly and immediately, without a thought." Her thoughts were instead turning inward, mulling over this drastic turn of events that would swiftly change her life irrevocably. I did not have any set anticipations of how she might react. After all, it was apparent that her mother had chosen to keep their heritage from the girls, maybe not completely, but at least partially. As such, the secret's revelation, and the entire scenario was a rather weighty exposure, enough that it was entirely reasonable for her to be allowed some time to reflect and adjust to it.

Several long moments passed as she wandered the yard in idle contemplation. Her mother kept the barrel of her firearm trained upon my still prostrate form. However, her eyes, as were mine, were locked upon her daughter as she walked around the yard. This was the big moment, whether she accepted her responsibility, or if I would need to fulfill my duties without her cooperation.

She turned back to face me. "Tell me everything."

* * *

Rather than simply speak of the war, I felt that my charge might learn best from spectating. En route to the field of battle, I explained the most basic of the information, that which she need know before understanding could truly come. She was very well-educated despite the seeming lack of knowledge among her family, and was quickly able to ascertain the purpose and validity hidden behind my veil of words. We arrived at the field of battle well before any of the combatants.

"So each of the servants, and some of the masters have the ability to sense where other servants are?"

"Yea. And for my part, I have both a perchance for foresight, as well as the capacity for the sensing the location of all of the participants." I responded fluidly. The Grail did not leave its servant wanting.

"And you don't worry that they can feel us up here, watching them?"

"You recall my mention of the Noble Phantasms?" At her nod, I continued. "One of those allotted to me is known as the Mantle of the Maiden. All female servants who had retained their chastity during their lives, and then retain it still further to the point that they remain as such through the war, are allowed this. It protects them and gives them sanctuary from prying eyes of others in the war."

"So you're a virgin?" She seemed surprised by this.

"The only lover I have ever known is the Lord above." I said, swelling with pride.

"Are there others?" She asked, curious. It was odd to have her so seemingly interested in other person's sexualities.

"As you will recall, I had informed you that servants can quickly run out of prana, even through the use of a single Noble Phantasm. The easiest way for them to recover is the transfer of prana through semen and other bodily fluids. As such, several may begin with the Mantle, but they rarely keep it for long." I shook my head. "I know of only one servant who almost always keeps her virginity, an Assassin known as the Ripper."

"Like Jack the Ripper?" She asked incredulously. "Wasn't that a guy?"

I think you will learn that history is not always as you were taught." I gave a small smile. "History is the story of those who were the victors. It is dishonorable to be killed by a woman, and more to have one. Those in such dire straits often alter the timeline in order to preserve the honor of the fallen. King Arthur Pendragon, Sir Francis Drake, and even the infamous Jack the Ripper."

"Wait a minute, did you just say King Arthur's a chick?"

"Aye, a very fair maiden. Due to the scheming of Le Fay however, Arturia will never be eligible for the Noble Phantasm of the Mantle such as myself."

"Le Fay, like Morganna?"

"The very same. She is another participant in this war."

"I thought keeping one's identity was paramount, nobody know any of the others they might fight without actually doing it? Something about weaknesses?"

"Very astute." I said nodding in approval. "However, I am the divine guardian, the Ruler class servant. I know every participant, their powers, their Noble Phantasms, their weaknesses, their histories, everything. I hold all of the cards, you might say. All of their weaknesses are my strength."

"You're not very modest are you?"

"Should I be?"

"It seems more fitting of a virgin in service to God doesn't it?"

"Perhaps. It is not my place however. I merely serve."

"So who are they?"

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean by 'they'?"

"You know, the other servants!" She seemed overly excited by the prospect.

"There are thirty-five who will be participating. Five from each of the other seven classes of servants. Sabers, Lancers, Archers, Riders, Berserkers, Casters, and Assassins. Anybody throughout all of history, past, present, and even the future. During this particular engagement, the heroes are myself, the only Ruler, Joan of Arcadia.

"In addition, there are the Sabers, King Arturia Pendragon, Sir Lancelot du Lac of the Round, the Infamous Black Knight, Siegfried the Dragon-Slayer, and the Twins Romulus and Remus.

"The Archers are the King of Heroes Gilgamesh, the raven Rhi Bran y Hud- Robin Hood, Benkai Musashibō the loyal, the conqueror Ghengis Khan, and the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth.

"Among the Lancers lay the Hound Cü Chulainn, Vladimir Tepes Dracula, the son of the Serpent, Achilles the impervious, the Fuhrer of the third reich Adolfo Hitler, and Donatien Alphonse Fracois, the Marquis de Sade.

"The Riders consist of the vile gorgon Medusa, the flying general Lu Bu, Vice Admiral Francesca Drake, the famed horde leader Attila the Hun, and the legendary Edward Teach.

"Of the Casters are counted Medea the accursed, the fated Morganna Le Fay, the cambion Merlin, the destined Edgar Allen Poe, to the enlightened author Dante Aligheri.

"For this battle, the Assassins are build out of Jack the Ripper terror of the English streets, the ninja of the Tokugawa Honzó Hattori, the fictional grand assassin Altair Ibn la Ahad, the heathen goddess of death Anubis, and Mufasa, the Lion-skinned Chief.

"Lastly are the Berserkers. Hercules the demigod, lost to madness, the heathen deity of storms and war Thor, the mad doctor's mighty monster mistakenly known as Frankenstein, the gang lord Al Capone, and the Heavenly king of the Tokugawa, Tadakatsu Honda.

"Each one a mighty opponent of legendary status. Many have grown purely beyond human comprehension."

"I have numerous questions about this."

"Ask away."

"Monster and gods? They aren't heroes, they're make believe."

"Each of these warriors is as real as the belief that humans have in them. Their power is directly linked to the faith and trust that humans have. The more prayers one may receive, the more power, whereas, the more feared another is, the more power."

"Next one, did you call Anubis a goddess? As in, a chick?"

"Yea, body of a fine Egyptian maiden, head of a midnight jackal."

"Did you say Hitler?"

"He falls under the now growing category of servants who grow powerful through fear and revulsion rather than faith and devotion. They are often called monsters rather than heroes. It is rare to hear people refer back to them with much kindness tied to their memory."

"Why are there so many male heroes? Not enough chicks do important stuff before they kicked it?"

"Quite to the contrary. It is simply that most magus are born female. Males are much rarer to find with magic circuits running through them. I told you before that bodily fluids are the easiest way to transfer prana, the most popular method is through sex." I could feel my lips curl with distaste. "As such, the majority of those participating in every Grail war are male servants and female magus."

"Maybe there are more female magus because there aren't as many female heroes?" She questioned idly.

"A proper hypothesis, but not one that will be able to be proven one way or another during any one person's lifetime. It appears that the battle is soon to begin." I nodded, directing her attention with the motion. We stood atop a very large, grandiose hotel, staring down at a barren construction site. It appeared to be the building of a much larger version of the building we stood upon.

"Who are we going to be watching right now?" My master asked delicately, almost as if she were frightened.

"Some of the more powerful of the fighters. Frankenstein, Dante, Altair, and the Black Knight. Each powerful and reasonably arguable to be the absolute most powerful of the servants. Each could be argued to be an easy victor over all of their competition. Although, in all truth, the same might be said of nearly any competitor."

"I don't know, I can't see Hitler winning against King Arthur."

"Arturia," I automatically corrected.

"Whatever." She shivered and hugged her arms about herself. It was not cold out, so I knew she shivered for another reason rather than the cold. "So who is the Black Knight?" She was whispering now.

"That is who is he is." I intoned reverently. He was easily argued as the most powerful of all of the servants. "Every culture in the world has a legend of one. But this one is made up of all of them at once, while together he is none."

"You're very annoying to get a straight answer out of."

"Thank you." I bowed slightly.

* * *

**Alright, I'm writing more and more of this and my other stories, so I can get them all closer together. That means less and less for Hunter's Heartbreak and Absolute Envy for the time being, and more for the less popular of them I suppose. Read and Review everybody, you know how much I love those!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, here we go, back into the story writing. Hopefully I'm going to find it easier to write now instead of how I was having it before. Anyway, I've already introduced eight servants, and a couple other characters. Once I've introduced them all, which won't be happening in a chapter each, but at that point I'll willingly start accepting suggestions on who to write next. Maybe not even waiting for all to be introduced...**

* * *

"Bastards!"I raged. None of the other mages had actually shown up. At least, not as openly as myself. I didn't see much point in hiding, I never had. I had power, I was uncommon among the masters. A magus with the power to stand up to a servant with my abilities alone. A friend of mine, a talented swordsman and a fellow mage was only a few hundred yards behind me, hidden behind a concrete mixer. His own servant Rider was nearby, most likely sitting in his lap. My Saber was more than well enough equipped to take out a Berserker and an Assassin. "Ready for this?"

Saber reached up over his shoulder and drew his sword, a massive hand-and-a-half bastard sword. He was too quiet, even refusing to make grunts of approval or negatives. I wasn't a big speaker either, in fact, neither was our ally behind us, or RIder. Most of the speech between myself and my friend ended up being from one of our other friends. She wasn't a master though, so we chose not to risk her. Although she certainly would have enjoyed the experience. It was unfortunate, some of her pointless drivel would have been calming.

The Berserker rushed forward, moaning aggressively. He charged at the Assassin, who flicked his hands in turn, releasing two blades from hidden sheaths. My Saber waited just another moment before charging, allowing those other two to engage.

When all three met together, I felt a nearby surge of power. That was all the warning I had before a massive pillar of flame engulfed all three of them. I sighed. Of course there would be a Caster. I was powerful, but Casters were both magus and servant. There was non way I would be able to defeat him, but I might be able to stall him. I raised my right hand and opened my magic circuits, sending dozens of small blue orbs out, each speeding off to seek out this new servant. With my hand still raised, I kept my magic circuits open, preparing myself to teleport.

When my orbs hit, I felt the location and the released the energy I had been holding. He was, of course, at the very top of the construction project. Not that I was afraid of heights, but was fully aware of how dangerous they could be.

We were thirty floors in the sky, balanced on a narrow steel beam. Each floor looked to be a full story, which meant about four and a half yards. Simple math meant that I would be falling almost a hundred thirty-five yards. Accounting for gravity at ten point seven two yards per second per second. It meant that if I fell, I would be hitting the ground at fourteen hundred forty-seven point two yards, more than enough to kil me effortlessly.

Sometimes intelligence is vastly overrated.

I faced off against him, calling more prana into my circuits, ready for whatever he might have for me. That meant that when he turned to face me, I was of course not at all ready.

He whirled around and simply chucked two handfuls of molten flame at me. Unfortunately, I am an offensive mage, defensive magecrafts are not my forte. I worked together a weak blockade. I may not be good at casting them, but I was good at science. Physics trumps even magic when done correctly.

Instead of trying to stop the fires with force, I formed up a very thin layer of ice between us. I angled the shields out and deflected the fireballs aside into the open air. Then it was my turn to play rough. And trust me, I like to play rough. If I kept blocking, sooner or later I would screw up and it would be over in a minute. He was a servant, he began with a distinct advantage. Add to that that he was a Caster, and that we were engaged in a duel of magecraft, well, my chances of victory just seemed to lower every second.

So I played to my strengths. I wasn't much varied in my magecraft, but I was a genius. Plus I was powerful enough in my own right. I know it's clichéd, and that everybody in the fight, all seventy of us, thought it about ourselves. Of course, in my case, the information just so happened to be true.

A fight, one on one against a human magus, or hell, even a magician, I was confident I could win. Against a Caster class servant, well, I was reasonably certain I could manage not to die right away. Hopefully.

The Caster raised his hand, aiming it at me again. Clearly, we had differing ideas about my survival.

I almost threw myself to the side to dodge the attack before I remembered fifteen hundred. Luckily, I was intelligent, so my magecraft was very expansive. While he charged for his attack, I pulled my energy in and directed it into the sky. He was planning to attack from straight ahead, I planned to attack from the side. Most everywhere they mention it, everybody warns against using magic to control the weather. Making it rain near you would surely lead to tsunamis on the other side of the planet.

Total bullshit.

At least, so long as you were careful and conscious of what you were doing. Weather magic was nothing special. A few pulls, a gentle push, and I had a storm fast on its way to me. My particular abilities with magecraft enabled me to make conclusions. Whether it was my mind or my powers, I could see things a step ahead. I could basically predict what effect would occur from any given cause. An active imagination really helped my magecraft. Despite how volatile and unpredictable weather magic could be, I was an expert in the art.

The Caster pulled the energy together and lobbed another fireball at me. I dropped and hugged the metal at my fet, wrapping my arms as tightly around it as possible.

Not a moment too soon either.

The wind ripped through us. Luckily, I was wearing pretty simple clothes: black jeans, a black shirt and a large, heavy trench coat. None of them were dragging in the wind, at least, not too bad. Hell, my hair was pulling me off more than anything else.

My opponent, the Caster, was not dressed like me. Loose, billowing robes that obscured his body. A common choice for magus, especially Casters. However, they gave the wind a lot of area to grab hold of him. The wind quickly threw him off-balance. He spied me and immediately attempted to imitate what I was doing. Before he could though, the wind grew more powerful and tore him off of the beam. It was unlikely to kill him, even if he did hit the ground hard, but it was slim enough chance of that.

I pushed myself back to my feet. My hair whipped wildly around, freed from the long braid down my back. The night turned perfectly dark.

I had apparently pulled the weather from a much more powerful storm that I had thought. Unexpected, but still not a tsunami on the other side of the world. I knew that my friend would have a few choice words for me as the rain began to fall freely.

I was hailed as a magician, as a magus from the Age of Gods. My family had been selectively breeding and in-breeding for generations for this moment. I had the blood of magus from a thousand eras, the blood of great kings , even the blood of a dragon-thanks to a very drunken night by my umpteenth great grandmother, and again only a few decades ago by my grandfather. Yeah, I know, my family's a bunch of freaks. Incest, f*cking dragons, selective breeding. Say what you will about it, the end product certainly spoke for itself. I was a genius, my imagination unlimited, moral set and unquestioned, and with a dragon's supply of prana. I was ready to win.

A flash of lightning reminded me of where I was. Death height was not conducive to my health. I displaced myself and arrived on the ground.

I forgot my usual thinking ahead. I ended up less than twenty yards away from the fallen Caster. He pushed himself up and glared at me. I felt proud that I had managed to make him bloody, even if it was only a few scratches.

I turned to face him directly. "Now that you've taken a small measure of me, perhaps we might find another path beside that of fighting?"

"Asking for mercy?" He laughed.

"Of course not, but my servant is busy and I had hoped to find his measure."

"So you're testing him."

"I had hoped to." I reached into the backpack I wore. "I have wine?" A lame offer, but his accent had led me to believe that he was Italian. An Italian Caster, who might he turn out to be? There were so many possibilities, literally any of the enlightenment philosophers or artists might be eligible. Not that I needed to know who I was fighting in order to kill them. "So, do we have a deal?"

It took him a few moments before he finally accepted my proposal. I tossed the bottle at him. It was uncapped and draining down his throat swiftly. I was well aware that servants did not need to eat, I was also well aware that most masters knew this as well.

As such, most of them denied their servants the joy of feasting. Of course, by offering them those things that their masters denied them, I was making them less likely to detest me.

Everything was calculated out to serve me best. I was always pretty good at math. I turned to the battlefield just as my Saber sheathed his weapon. The battle was far from over.

Unfortunately, unlike most of the masters, who had servants only too willing to reveal their Noble Phantasms to their masters, mine was tight-lipped about everything. Or simply a mute. Whichever it was, it meant that I didn't know what he could do. All I knew was his name, the only words he'd actually said to me so far. A deep, velvety voice that sounded brittle enough to crack in the harsh air. "The Black Knight." Three words and a deadly threat at the same time. A glorious servant for me, most worthy.

With the weapon sheathed, both his armour and weapon altered to look distinctly Asian. Not quite Japanese, but close, incredibly close. Even given the distance between us, I could clearly hear him say, "Thuan Thien."

His voice was gravel as I tried to place the Noble Phantasm. Thuan Thien? I had no idea what that could be. Definitely Asian, but that hardly narrowed it down. Honda? No, that would Tonbo-giri. Honzo? Maybe, but the ninja would hardly wear such heavy armor. Plus, it didn't really sound Japanese. Clearly, I was no closer to learning my Black Knight's true identity.

He redrew his sword and grew. His body, not the blade. Although it did seem distinctively larger than it was in his other form. He grew until he was nearly seven feet tall. And almost four feet wide at his shoulders. He became a behemoth.

He drew his weapon, this _Thuan Thien,_ a large, powerful long sword with majestic colouration, suited to be worn by a king.

The Black Knight raised the weapon to his eye level before leveling it off and pointing it directly at the Berserker. A growl of challenge and the Black Knight charged at him. The Berserker's roar was just as wild as he charged to meet my servant. The Assassin had disappeared sometime, vanishing like the mist. Very dangerous, one never wanted to lose sight of an assassin. Especially one that wasn't on your team. The Caster still stood to the side, drinking away my wine. Well worth the small cost to keep one of the combatants out of the battle.

The Black Knight and his opponent crashed together with a tremendous sound. The longsword crashed against the Berserker's bare hands, stopping cold against the skin as if it were steel armour.

On second glance I saw my mistake. It had penetrated the skin, barely, before being turned aside by the bone.

Great. My Saber was facing off against a Berserker. And not just as Berserker, one that couldn't apparently be damaged. And there was an Assassin running around unchecked somewhere. All of this added up to a situation I certainly hadn't anticipated. And not at all the scenario I had been trying to manipulate. But it was still workable.

With my mind, I could still turn this into a victory. Being a genius, after all, did have its advantages. If we did this, we'd take out three of our opponents like it was nothing. And we would certainly do this.

Berserker swung those dreaded fists at Saber. Three quick punches.

Despite his new, massive size, Saber was still incredibly swift. The first blow swept by his head without a chance of hitting. The second blow was aimed at his torso, still plenty dangerous enough with the power behind it. With incredible agility though, the Black Knight twisted aside, letting the blow swing harmlessly by. The third hit was the money shot, slapping against Saber's left shoulder.

Saber reacted quickly, sweeping his blade up with the momentum of Berserker's strike and punching the blade right through his stomach. This time, the blade pierced all the way through Berserker's body, two feet of silver steel sticking out through his back. A red mist of dust sprayed from the wound.

Clearly, it had been some time since any living blood had flowed through those veins. A Berserker without need for blood. That certainly limited the possibilities. I observed everything from the suture scars to the dried blood to the massive size.

I racked my brain for who it might be. A hero. Or the antithesis of a hero.

I made the assumption that since my Black Knight was without a true identity, that all of the others were actual people once. Or at least legends. And a legend of a massive construct, made from flesh, sewn together out of the dead.

It hit me in a rush.

_Frankenstein_, interesting. Now, the next question, what weaknesses did he have? What did I know about Frankenstein?

My pondering was broken when the Assassin suddenly reappeared right in front of me. He lunged forward, extending his open left palm at me. I noticed that his ring finger was missing, even as the blade thrust toward me. I fell back away from the attack, landing on my back and rolling.

Even with the speed with which I reacted didn't leave me safe. I still felt almost two inches of cold steel pierce into my chest. Dammit, I didn't want to get injured. It was just that much harder to hide the war when I had to explain injuries.

And I really didn't want to have to explain a thick old bandage. But oh well.

Even as I leapt back to avoid his next strike, I was coming up with a lie that would flow easily to explain my injury. With his first strike foiled, he wouldn't be all that dangerous. After all, Assassins were the weakest of all of the servants, best for sneak attacks and nothing more.

And then he f*cking disappeared. Just flat out turned invisible.

Well, that was far from reassuring, but at least now I know that I hadn't just missed him, he had literally disappeared. Disconcerting to say the least. I had a pretty thick stream of blood running down my chest, dangerous but not overly. I would survive. Most likely at least. But either way, that wasn't the point right now. I pushed myself back to my feet.

My Black Knight was now lifted clear over Berserker's- Frankenstein's- head. A long strip of flesh was hanging down from Frankenstein's stomach, but it was clearly not bothering him.

I thought quickly. What was his weakness? Goddammit! I needed some way to help Saber! How the hell did the book end?

_Fire_! The villagers burned the monster in a mill. Or something like that.

I curled my fingers into a ball and summoned fire between them, thrusting the conflagration at the behemoth. The flames spewed strong despite the rain and my injuries. When they were still almost ten feet from him, he reacted much more than I had hoped. He screamed and threw Saber at the fireball. Then he simply turned and ran.

In midair, Saber turned and whipped his weapon forward, releasing the weapon, In the split second before he hit the ground, I noted that his armor had changed, it was still Asiatic, but not the same as before. This was more armoured, thicker strips of metal to guard his body now.

The blade whipped passed me, spinning sideways. When it passed me, it felt as if a huge weight were pressed on top of me, pressing me to the ground.

Assassin slipped under the blade, reappearing just in time to avoid it before vanishing once more. The look he gave me made it clear that he was leaving. That left the Caster. I turned to him and noted that he'd fled as well, leaving the empty bottle of wine.

Great, a huge fricking battle with four servants and a master, and of us all, I was the only one who was actually injured.

Just my freaking luck.

I walked back to my ally and sighed. "Not a word." I growled at him as I stalked past.

"So, wishing you didn't leave me in reserve over here? On the opposite side from which they all fled?" He laughed. His servant smiled. I couldn't tell if she was just humoring him or not, but I was guessing not. The blindfold made it difficult to tell if the smile made it to her eyes or not.

She was just as much an asshole as he was. As I was. School tomorrow was going to suck. Saber picked up his sword and sheathed it. He no longer had his seven foot stature.

I needed a drink.


End file.
